Endgame
by SailorTerra1
Summary: The sacrifice of the Moon Queen and the departure of her daughter was not the end of the battle on the moon, only the beginning. AU


Disclaimer: Sailor Moon and all characters and settings are copyrighted by Naoko Takeuchi & her associates. Anything you don't recognize is our own invention, as is the plot and the 'background.' No money is being made here. This is just our way of playing. No offense intended.

AN: This is AU before the series, and takes place after the 'flashbacks' in Season 1. We never thought that the timeline of 1000 years was realistic, since the Chinese have been observing the heavens (and the moon) for longer than that. This is our take on the fall of the Silver Millennium, dated 10,000 years ago. Besides, this aligns with several myths about an advanced civilization falling 10,000 years ago. We hope you enjoy it. If anyone wants the background on this, email us and we'll be happy to share our views. In any case, please let us know what you think.

**ENDGAME**

_We were – that I will not deny – vanquished in that conflict._

_yet the great intention was not lacking in nobility._

_Something or other gave Him victory: to us remained_

_The glory of a dauntless daring._

_And even if my troop fell thence vanquished,_

_yet to have attempted a lofty enterprise is still a trophy._

_La Strage degli Innocenti (The Slaughter of the Innocents) by Giambattista Marino_

"Close the gate!"

Sailor Sol stood on the slight rise that she and her seven companions stood on, watching the Dark Kingdom's army roll towards them. Most of the soldiers had been sworn to the defense of one or another of the planets, or their satellites. Now, they followed other orders. Controlled or seduced, she did not know. She only knew that they had to keep the invaders away from the Time Gate for as long as possible, so that the travelers, both civilians and the Moon Princess with her prince and her guards, would reach their destination. Now, they were out of time.

Leading the army were the four traitors; Atlas, Janus, Oberon, and Hyperion. Once, they had been the Guards of Prince Endymion of Earth. Now, renamed Kunzite, Zoisite, Nephrite, and Jadeite, they led an invading army that had taken over or rendered inhabitable all of the other planets.

When Endymion's Guard had disappeared, all of the planetary Senshi and Kishi had been sent to the Moon for a council of war. The four members of the Guard were presumed dead. Sailor Sol had been nearly insensate with grief. Her grief was shared by Sailor Terra and Sailor Pluto, but they had not been granted the time to come to terms with it, or even to commiserate with one another. The broken Soul Bonds just confirmed to the others that the Guard were dead.

Pluto wrapped herself in her dignity and refused all assistance. New Soul Bonds were formed for Sol and Terra, with Planetary Kishi this time, instead of Satellites. Sol was bonded to Kishi Saturn, a man as large as his Planet Partner was small, and equally quiet. The two of them stood close by, waiting for Sol's commands.

Terra had been bonded to Kishi Mercury, he of the fast feet and faster sword. Mercury had been the first knight to close in battle with the traitors, and the first to die. He had attacked Kunzite, and Zoisite had attacked him from behind and cut his throat. The other knights had followed, and they had all died. Kishi Venus and Mars had fallen to Jadeite and Nephrite. Kishi Jupiter had fallen to Kunzite.

Now, Sol watched with tears streaming down her face as Jadeite withdrew his sword from Terra's body. The Senshi of Earth had rocked their world with a titanic temblor that had split the surface of the moon, leaving a rift deep enough to kill a man. When her planet power had run out, she had attacked Nephrite with hands and feet. Jadeite had stabbed her in the back.

Terra had looked back at the eight figures on the hill, her hazel eyes apologizing for failing to stop the invaders.

Now, Sol had to give the orders she had been dreading since she took up her mantle, less than two years before.

All four pairs of Senshi and Kishi stood, back to back, raising their own particular powers for something that had never been used: Final Strike. They had all said their goodbyes to one another the night before. Sol loved them all, in one way or another, and took comfort in the knowledge that they would meet again, in another life, and perhaps in happier times.

"Neptune!" she cried. She felt the surge of planet power from the twins of the ocean, telling her that her command was being obeyed.

"Mega-Tsunami!" two voices screamed, sounding as if they were suffering the ultimate torment.

From where Sailor and Kishi Neptune stood, a massive wall of water rose and kept rising, until it towered up too far to see. It hid the pair that controlled it from view before it rushed towards the enemy, sweeping many of the soldiers off over the horizon and filling Terra's crack with a macabre soup of seawater and bodies. Escaping gas from the interior of the moon bubbled up and gave it the even more ghoulish appearance of simmering.

As Sol expected, where the Neptunes had stood were a pair of water-filled footprints. No trace remained of one of Sol's lovers and her twin brother. Many of the opposing force had been swept away by the wave. The four traitors remained, apparently untouched by the punishing force of the water.

Sol swallowed hard. She had felt the deaths of the two, as if someone had ripped two more holes in her heart. She also felt the pain experienced by the twins of Uranus, at the deaths of their Soul Bonded lovers. She could not force them to live with such pain, especially since the attack had done little more than wash away the blood and dead bodies.

"Uranus!" she called. Sailor Uranus gave a sharp nod, and again Sol felt planet power build.

"Ultra Tornado!" they screamed. Again, they suffered the pain that accompanied any high powered attack, and it seemed to be magnified for the Final Strike.

A wind began whipping around the two of them, first raising dust and then tearing fuku and armor from its summoners. When the fuku and armor were gone, Sol was horrified to see it tear away hair and skin, then flesh and bone, until the twins of wind were one with their creation. It grew forward from its starting point, and swept toward the invaders, growing in strength and size until it was more than two miles wide, and correspondingly strong. It cut through the soil it passed over, and well into the rock, destroying everything in its path.

When the winds cleared, the enemy army was smaller, but still there. The traitors still stood at its head.

"Dammit, Pluto, close the gate!" Sol screamed.

Sol did not have to verbalize her next command. The twins of silence knew as well as she did what must be done. They stood together, each with their own weapon in the right hand, and the left hand on their partner's weapon. Sailor Saturn's glaive and Kishi Saturn's halberd were vibrating with sound waves that were inaudible to human ears.

The youma in the invading army heard them. Several bellowed and covered their ears. The seven strongest of the monstrous fighters were gone, but all of the lesser youma sensed what was coming, and some even made an effort to flee.

"Deadly Silence!"

From where Saturn stood, an almost visible wave of sound cascaded out. At its source, the twins were vibrated along with their weapons. Sol watched skin and flesh split, showing shattered bones and disintegrating organs. She wanted to double over in pain as her Soul Mate, Kishi Saturn, became one with his Final Strike and left her behind.

For several minutes, Sol closed her eyes and mourned her fallen friends. She felt her brother's shoulders shaking and knew that he was thinking of them, as well. The sun shone indiscriminately on all, and so the twin solar powers had loved all Senshi and Kishi with equal warmth, and a few with greater fervor. The only comfort they could draw now was that the Moon Princess, her guards, and Prince Endymion would start their lives anew in a time that was far less perilous, along with many of the civilians. Something would be saved from this.

"For the last time, Pluto, close the damned gate!"

It was too late for the solar twins to save themselves, and neither of them wanted to live without those they loved.

The rumble of an approaching army drew them out of their grief and Sailor Sol looked up to see that the traitors were close enough for her to see their eyes.

Sol felt the power approaching its peak as Kunzite and the other three approached them. Her gold eyes met his ice blue ones. She saw no regret in his eyes, and revealed her condemnation to him in hers.

"Surrender," he said, bringing the point of his weapon even with her heart. She looked down at it, darkened with Kishi Jupiter's blood, and then up at him again. She felt her partner's assent that he was ready. She gave the head General of the Dark Kingdom the only answer she could.

"Supernova!"

Alone in his quarters in the Dark Kingdom, Kunzite waited until the youma assigned to tend his burns had left, and then allowed himself to weep. Queen Metalia would never know how hard it had been for him to lead the army against the Moon Kingdom, and to order Sailor Sol to surrender. The bargain he had made with her for a copy of his love, Janus, had led him to this point. He had promised himself that he would never regret his choice. He had foolishly hoped that they would not be able to teleport away in time to survive. Metalia was far better prepared than they had thought.

A light footstep warned him that he was no longer alone.

"Kunzitosama?" Zoisite said softly. "Why do you weep?"

"They were noble adversaries, Zoisato," Kunzite lied. "Someone should mourn their passing. No one that valiant should die without someone to remember them, and to regret that they are no more."

"I understand, Kunzitosama," Zoisite said. "I thought I was being foolish when I mourned the passing of a valiant enemy."

"No, Zoisite," Kunzite replied. "It is not foolish at all. I do not believe that we should tell Nephrite and Jadeite, though. I do not know what they would think."

"Of course, Kunzitosama," Zoisite said. "The healer said we should rest as much as possible until we are healed."

Kunzite smiled and led the way to the massive bed spread with black silk sheets.

"Then let us take our rest," he said.

Zoisite followed Kunzite willingly, his own face wet with tears. He did not dare tell this copy of his love, Atlas, that he mourned the passing of another lover, Sailor Terra, or the passing of friends. He renewed his vow to never look back, and never bemoan his choices. He had hoped not to survive the battle, but the Black Queen's planning was superior to any problems that arose.

He lay down with Kunzite and carefully arranged himself so that neither of them was in pain from their burns but so that they were together, sharing body heat and hearing one another's heartbeats. He had, literally, made his bed and now he must lie in it.

There was no turning back.

FIN


End file.
